Sports

IT may sound outrageous and somewhat out of place, but Pakistan’s first defeat in a Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe couldn’t have come at a better time after the African country had previously lost all 15 fixtures against them! The tag of unpredictability associated with Pakistan cricket yet again reared its ‘ugly’ head on Friday in Harare on Friday. Notwithstanding the …

MONTREAL: Hayley Wickenheiser, a Canadian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Commission, says medical experts should decide whether or not to stage the Tokyo Olympics, not athletes or the IOC. Wickenheiser, a six-time Olympian who won four ice hockey gold medals and also played softball at the 2000 Summer Games, told CBC Sports that safety and public health need to …

LONDON: Liverpool suffered another setback in a tumultuous week as Joe Willock’s 94th minute equaliser earned Newcastle United a 1-1 draw at Anfield that prevented Jurgen Klopp’s men from moving into the Premier League top four. Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring after just three minutes, but Liverpool wasted a host of chances to extend their lead and paid in …

HARARE: Pakistan suddenly find themselves in a spot of bother as they face a weak-looking yet spirited Zimbabwe in the series-deciding third and final Twenty20 International here at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. Fresh from their ODI and Twenty20 series triumph in South Africa where they toured prior to coming to Zimbabwe, Babar Azam and company received a big …

TOKYO: Only three months before the postponed Olympics are set to open, Tokyo and Japan’s second largest metropolitan area of Osaka have been placed under emergency orders aimed at stemming surging cases of the coronavirus. The measures, which take place during Japan’s golden week holiday period, are meant to limit travel and keep people out of public places. They are …

PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne led his side’s bid to match Bangladesh’s mammoth score on a third day of batting domination in the first Test between the two nations here at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Karunaratne built an unbeaten 85 as Sri Lanka moved to 229 for three at the close, still needing 112 to avoid …

LEICESTER: Red-hot striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored an 11th goal in his last eight games in all competitions as Leicester City tightened their grip on a Champions League spot poured more misery on woeful West Bromwich Albion with an emphatic 3-0 Premier League win on Thursday. Brendan Rodgers’ men were wobbling after losing their previous two top-flight matches but produced a …

CAPE TOWN: Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa has turned up the heat on Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) embattled Members Council after stripping them of the right to run the game, putting the country’s participation in future international tournaments in doubt. The all-powerful Mem­bers Council, which is made up of the presidents of the 14 provincial unions, has been holding out against …

LAHORE: Former Test captain Intikhab Alam has expressed his surprise over the shocking 19-run defeat of Pakistan at the hands of a much weaker Zimbabwe in the second T20I in Harare and has urged the players to show consistency and the coaches to put together the best possible combination in view of upcoming T20 World Cup. Talking to Dawn after Pakistan’s humiliating defeat which …

TOKYO: Tokyo Olympics organisers reported the first infection from the nationwide torch relay on Thursday, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to play havoc with the massive event. Organisers said an unnamed man in his 30s who had taken part in the relay in the western island of Shikoku had tested positive for the virus, without specifying his exact role. They …